Best gun for a grand...

[Lucent]

Dear All

 

I was wondering if i may be able to tap your collective wealth of knowledge to try and decide what new o/u sporting shotty to buy.

 

As you may have guessed from the title, i would like to shell out about a grand - £1,500 (top whack) for a new sporter and so far have seen the Browning Cynergy & Grand Prix Sporter which both look great and would be really grateful to learn about whats been making waves and floating your rafts in and around this price bracket... I'm mad about the minimal styling of the aforementioned and love the modern looks.

 

There are so many on the market and with all reviews seeming favourable i feel like i am studying for a gun degree!

 

Thanks in advance for your thoughts and opinions.

 

Pigeonwatch forum, over to you!!!

[Catamong]

Hi Lucent,

 

First of all, fill in your profile, tell everybody a bit about yourself, and you'll get plenty of responses.

 

This subject has to be one of the most fiercely debated ones on the forum, a lot of guys will say go for a Beretta, others will say go for a Browning / Miroku.

 

My advice is to try before you buy, as you will find that they handle very differently, don't rush in and buy a particular model just because your mate says it's the mutts nuts, try it for yourself first.

 

You've had the good sense to set a sensible budget, so many newbies want to conquer the clay shooting world with a £500 gun, and that ain't gonna happen, so listen to the advice given and buy sensibly.

 

Cat.

[Oly]

How long have you been shooting, what type of clays float your boat? Would it only be used for clays?

 

Without this info I would say buy a gun that fits well, and shoots straight for you, regardless of price, style or current favour.

[Lucent]

Hello and thank you for your replies.

 

So, in way of a personal blurb... I am 25 and live in Bristol. I shoot down in Cheddar and have been going there for about 5 or 6 months. So far so good, but have now got a licence and am keen to buy a decent gun that will stand me in good stead for many years clay shooting.

 

I will be using the gun for shooting clays, and your right, i started off deciding that a Betinsoli would be great, but i now have convinced myself that you have to be really happy with your gun and it has to make you feel good when your using it!

 

If you buy the cheapest based purely on price, i think it will be the back of your mind and you would be tempted to blame misses on the gun!

 

I have taken a fancy to the 682 Gold E and the more modestly priced 686 E sporting as well but am finding it a bit of a minefield!

 

Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

V best.

[roadkill]

i have just bought my first gun for around the same price range that you are looking at . It is a beretta 686e sporter and it fits like a dream i have used it for clays and rough shooting and i can tell you now it was a great buy for my first gun

[Wookie]

SimonP got a 682e Gold sporter as a first gun and it's a lovely piece of kit. I'm not sure you could go wrong by buying a Berretta, but rumour has it that Miroku make some very nice guns for that sort of price.

[Andy W]

Miroku are very good and worth every penny, Berettas do not fit everybody, important to take advice on gunfit and only buy a gun that fits you.

[Oly]

Going off what you have said I would now stress how important it is that you have a gun that fits perfectly and shoots well for you. Try to avoid being sucked into what's in vogue, they won't fit everyone.

 

Personally I can vouch for Miroku, for me they fit well, shoot straight, are very well built and are the most pointable gun on the market...for me!

[dunganick]

miroku, although typically only fit us lanky types

 

beretta if your short and stocky

[PhilPot]

The winchester select energy aint a bad gun and you can pick them up for around £1000, adjustable comb, not bad styling, mine came in hard case, with 6 chokes and 4 true glo sights, they are made by browning now and aint a bad gun after the **** they brought out a few years ago.

otherwise the browning xls sporter can be picked up for about £1200 i think again lovely gun!

[Wookie]

Miroku fit lanky types better eh??? As a 6'5" chap with long (some might say gorilla) arms, I might have to look into that...

 

Still fancy a silver pigeo 5 though, it's the most beautiful thing I have ever seen!

[Sundodger]

Lucent,

Maybe you shouild go to a proper gunsmith and buy the gun from him and if nessarsary have it fitted. At the price you are paying it would be worth it. I am off Tomorrow, and I am going to my local gunsmith (he is local to you as well) for a new gun and fit. He is In Somerton Somerset. if you are interested his number is 01458 270024 Mr Rule. Hope you find what you want.

 

Wookie

I fancy the Silver Pogeon as well it looks a fine gun. Hope fully I will have one tomorrow.

[Baldrick]

I've got a manky old Beretta 682 and a Silver Pigeon III, sitting alongside my much-loved Browning O/Us in my cabinet. Both brands are superb, and I seem to shoot equally well with each. I'd err on the side of a Browning, purely as I like the chunky feel, but the Beretta O/U is very elegant, particularly in a 20-bore configuration.

 

Just buy what feels comfortable.

[Jimjim]

I just bougth a beretta silver pigeon s and it is a really comfy gun to shoot!!

[simonp]

As Wookie mentioned, I bought a Beretta 682 Gold E sporter as my first gun after trying a few of the members guns on here at a PW meetup. A few were nice enough to let me have a try and I found that the beretta with 30" barrels just fitted perfectly (thanks to pin). From there I found a bloody nice 2nd hand one (well 4 weeks old IIRC Mungler ? ) and went from there.

 

I know the gun I have (in the right hands) can shoot FAR better than I right now, so it removed that from the equation I know I have to come up to scratch first. Right now I'm shooting better than ever, and loving it It fits superbly, feels gorgeous and I am very comfortable shooting.

 

When we've eventually completed on our house move I plan to get some lessons and check gun fit proper but until then I'm still a very happy bunny with my choice. Try as many as you can, and you'll know when you find it

 

Si

[Oly]

Miroku fit lanky types better eh???

 

I'm 6ft 4in...so yes, maybe Miroku's are made for tall people! Strange though...considering they are made in the far east where they are not know for their tall'ness!!

[Rascal]

You will not go far wrong if you stick with the major brands Beretta, Browning, Miroku etc. You should be able to pick up a good gun from any of those brands within your budget.

 

I would go for a multi choke selective trigger model. What ever you choose find a shop with a gunsmith that will spend time with you to check fit.

 

Good luck. :unsure:

[dunganick]

reason in general that a miroku will fit tall people better is, tall people tend to have, long arms, long necks and broad or sloping shoulders.

 

Miroku's have an extra 1/4" pull than 90% of factory guns and considerably more drop on the mk60/70 sporters than any other gun ive ever tried.

 

had my mk70 sporter for a good yr and a half now, love it to bits.

[me and my lad]

biught a cynergy black ice for just over £1,200 new, got my lad a 20b cynergy also.

 

great guns, not had a problem with either of them

[bobby t]

my vote for a grand would be the miroku mk38 with the tegue chokes. dont worry about the looks of a gun focus on the feel because style never won a competiton ( as i think catamong will tell you)

[Andy W]

miroku, although typically only fit us lanky types

 

beretta if your short and stocky

I am short and stocky, 5'8" and the Miroku MK38 fits and suits me better than my Beretta 687, I did have to put a thinner recoil pad on, off a beretta silver pigeon incidentally.

[peter-peter]

Hello and thank you for your replies.

 

So, in way of a personal blurb... I am 25 and live in Bristol. I shoot down in Cheddar and have been going there for about 5 or 6 months. So far so good, but have now got a licence and am keen to buy a decent gun that will stand me in good stead for many years clay shooting.

 

I will be using the gun for shooting clays, and your right, i started off deciding that a Betinsoli would be great, but i now have convinced myself that you have to be really happy with your gun and it has to make you feel good when your using it!

 

If you buy the cheapest based purely on price, i think it will be the back of your mind and you would be tempted to blame misses on the gun!

 

I have taken a fancy to the 682 Gold E and the more modestly priced 686 E sporting as well but am finding it a bit of a minefield!

 

Thanks again for your thoughts.

 

V best.

the 682e is a superb gun so is the browning 525, BUT,if it doesn't fit you you might as well buy a cheapy

if you are going to spend them sort of bucks, get advice from a good gunfitter.

or buy a beretta semi auto then you can alter the stock to fit you.

[dunganick]

its particually the miroku 60 and 70 that suit tall types. The 38 is a sporterised trap gun i believe? hense not having so much drop.

[Lucent]

Great advice guys, i really appreciate it.

 

Thank you to Sundodger for the reccomendation of a good gun smith, that will come in very useful and i hope you got your Silver Pigeon sorted?

 

Peter-Peter thanks for your note, the Beretta semi is incredibly tempting and i have been sniffing around a Teknys Gold sporter at Avalon Guns. I would snap this up in an instant as i love the look and feel of it but having read a previous debate, i gather this is a whole different can of worms that should be saved for another time...!

 

I didnt realise that you could road test guns before buying which is great news and willl no doubt make the process a lot easier.

 

Cheers again, keep your thoughts coming!!

[Andy W]

I didnt realise that you could road test guns before buying which is great news and willl no doubt make the process a lot easier.

Lots of shooting grounds which sell guns will let you test them, you just have to pay a cleaning charge and I think it is only on secondhand guns as a new gun becomes secondhand after testing I beleive.